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The trolls cross Europe. Of all the experiences of today I prefer the production of trolls with wool. Maybe the children I teach are too small to make a troll with this traditional technique, but I'm sure we can create new ones with many other methods. The important thing about this activity is that it will serve as a starting point to bring children to these comics and create new ones that, who knows, can be shared with all of you.

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Performing manual activities as well as being relaxing is also a stimulus for creativity. Today we all tried to make trolls.

Everyone invented his own, the result was very interesting ...

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Iceland, April 16th, 2018

This morning we made a wool workshop in which we have manufactured Trolls. I think it is a good idea that we can use in our classes and therefore make the characters of our popular tales with the students. It has been a very interesting experience.

After lunch, we went for a walk on Sagas and popular Icelandic tales. And as always, we have seen the similarities of these with those of the rest of Europe. One of the things that impressed me most has been to discover how here songs are also sung by scared fear of sleeping. With beings that are often quite different from the people who live in these places. For example, here is a fear with a monster that had black eyes, it goes without saying that the eyes of the Icelanders are clear. We also have samples that scare the children to sleep:

• Banyeta, related to the demons and horns.

• Butoni, it also looks like a demon.

Examples of characters different from the people who live in one area have others as well. In Valencian mythology, most ogres are black, reminiscent of the Islamic era.

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Rosanna

Today we had an interesting workshop  about trolls.It was a new experience for everybody in the group, under the guide of two lovely ladies  we prepared Icelandic trolls. Personally I found it very relaxing and creative and it was nice to see how from the same starting material each of us created one or more trolls, all different and all equally beautiful. I don't know exactly if I will succeed, but I would like my students to try this activity when I do dissemination work after this course.

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Rosanna

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Today was all about interculturalism. Throughout the day, from the wool workshop to the saga walk we heard stories that both unite and separate our cultures. In the wool workshop it was interesting to hear the story about the lazy young wife and the creature that helped her but wanted a big price unless she remembered the creatures name. We have a similar story in Finland, too, called Tittelintuure, but without the trolls it’s anyhow a bit different.

On the saga walk the other hand, we heard about how the Icelandic people needed help from the Finnish wise men. Although the story isn’t familiar to us Finns, I believe it has something to do with our national epic Kalevala, a collected story collection of Finnish folklore, and the Finnish wise man Väinämöinen, who made a traditional Finnish string instrument of the zither family, kantele. He was able to spell things, sometimes with the help of kantele, so he would have been a perfect helper to vanish the big snake from the lake.

During the saga walk I could also see the crucial cultural connections between the past and the present. The legends and myths are particularly strong in Iceland, so the past and present kind of live side by side here. My picture choice today presentates the interculturalism between both time and people: in the picture people from different cultures and backgrounds are having fun together in a modern environment while hearing old stories. That pretty much crystallizes the meaning and importance of interculturalism for me.

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The power of storytelling has been one of the greatest things that I have learned here in Iceland. Not only today but during the whole time I have stayed here I have had the priviledge to see most extraordinary performances by excellent storytellers. They are all very talented professionals and specialist in what they do: they make us feel welcome and really listen what they tell us. That way the stories they tell can touch our own life and can really make a big impact on us. These storytellers let us inside their very own culture and give us the chance to think about the similarities and differences with our own culture. They communicate with us smoothly and naturally, which is, I think, one of the most important skills in future, and definitely something I want to teach my students to know and understand.

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This morning we did a manual activity that is very rare and unusual for me . Two very nice ladies who seemed to be the protagonists of a film by Agata Christie, they showed us howmake Trolls using wool. At the beginning I was annoyed because the dexterityit's not my passion  but then I let myself go and I even relaxed. We gave space to our imagination and I thought that this activity would be very useful for the students. Many pedagogical theories consider these activities fundamental for those who grow. It was very nice to compare our products, they were so different from each other and they reflected our personalities. I saw a serene and smiling group, focused and creative. I should probably find more time and space to exercise my manual skills.In the afternoon we toured the city with a young guide who told us about trolls, elves, ghosts telling us new stories. There was a trip to the cemetery. Cute the story of the monster of the lake. I was struck by the fact that even the young Icelanders believe in these ancient legends, for the series: it is not true, but I believe it. These stories make me smile, I do not interfere knowing if they are true or invented, however they represent traditions. I pointed a finger at myself with the needle, broke a hair dryer, dropped a mirror ... any goblin has it with me?

Creating is giving a shape to one's destiny.
- Albert Camus -

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The first activity we had scheduled for today proved to be quite a challenge as making trolls is not something we usually do. It was interesting for me to see how with the same materials the outcome would be  completely different. Some people seemed to have a natural talent for it. Unfortunately, I was not one of them!
However, what I enjoyed most was the stories told by Valla. It is heartwarming to see how in stories, all good actions are rewarded and that the “gods” favour the kind souls that trust them and help them out. Poetic justice is so comforting!

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Albertina
This morning I learned a technique to create woolen trolls, actually I used the material that was provided to me to create puppets that resemble our rag dolls. This made me reflect on the fact that our traditions never leave us. In the afternoon we walked around the city in the company of a guide who told us fantastic stories about the place. While he told us about monsters and witches who steal bad children to eat them, he took me back in time to tell me these stories as a child to convince me to behave myself. In short, the places, the people, the names change, but the stories we pass on to each part of the world are united by the same will to have good people who know how to take care of everything around them.

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I liked very much today’s session because it was a practical workshop. We were helped by two expert art crafts teachers who made us make our own troll. It was a nice activity, everyone followed his own imagination and in the end we all had different pieces of work. I reflected on the fact that practical activities should be promoted in schools, at any level, because they let young people get new competences. Moreover, these kind of lessons let children relax, encourage collaboration and enhance their creativity. Art crafts is part of our intangible cultural heritage as well as traditional stories. It was interesting to listen to the old Icelandic tales while visiting some characteristic spots of the city. I tried to imagine these creatures, the events they were involved with because I’m very fascinated by Icelandic sagas and folk tales.

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Today we gave a face to the Icelandic trolls they told us about these days. We worked the wool together, in a relaxed atmosphere, with the mind focused on our creations. A suspended time during which a magical harmony was created between us, a playful empathy. Often manual work is underestimated, in reality, as Maria Montessori said, the hand is the organ of the spirit. At the end we gathered the trolls: this gesture is this image made me feel a strong sense of belonging to the group. The next school year will propose this activity to welcome first-class students!

In the afternoon Stefan, a tour guide, told us traditional noir stories. I really appreciated his theatrical attitude and his passion in telling stories. The stories may seem simple, in reality they give moral teachings and tell real life.

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Today I could well perceive how the climate shapes one's identity! Just like back home, in the Azores, Iceland’s moody weather has a huge impact on its inhabitants: its unpredictability leads people to be patient, adapt, adjust, innovate, improvise and strive harder to overcome obstacles, may they be natural or human-caused. Being both the Azores and Iceland active vulcanic islands located in ultraperipheric areas, their inhabitants face hardships which demand faith or belief in the supernatural or the divine. I could see this clearly in our walking tour through the city under rain, sun, cold, wind! We experienced the 4 seasons in one day and we adapted ourselves to them, as we should do in a broader sense with Nature. I was surprised to hear that folk tale monsters and creatures can be evil and revengeful, even to children. However, they are never to the environment. This respect for Nature’s volatility and grandeur has shaped the Icelanders, who are know for being eco-friendly, resourceful, resilient and innovative! Trolls live in the MOUNTAINS, elves in ROCKS, monsters in LAKES and gryphons rule the SKY, as we have learned today. So, these tales become pedagogical in this sense and, therefore, should be passed on to future generations and visitors. As a visitor, I’ve noticed how much my island has in common and how much is further back concerning the  Environment! 💚

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Learning by doing was the morning session theme. Today we had an opportunity to experience little one of the activities our ancestors devoted their time to during long winter evenings.  To be able to make one piece of a wool figure takes a lot of time and really demands mastering and patience. I experienced a new activity of the  natural material usage I may implement into educational programs our organization prepares for schools and youth. I really liked the atmosphere of the workshop. While we were working, we could also listen to the story teller who was narrating Islandic legends. It reminded me of the awesome times with my grandma and great-grandma whom I was reading books while they were peeling potatoes, preparing fruits to be preserved or little pieces of wood for the stone oven.
What´s even more important to me I experienced during the workshop and walking tours around the city is the fact that the Icelanders are able to process the sheep wool, socks, blankets, sweaters. After Velvet revolution when the harsh capitalism entered the Czech Republic sheep wool started to be neglected, farmers did not have chance to have it processed more as companies that cleaned the wool or processed further were closed. Nowadays we slowly go back to the traditions that we had.